ST. PAUL, Minn. — After producing the only goal in a game the Wild dominated on the ice, but not the scoreboard, Mikael Granlund was quick to point out he rewarded his team with what it deserved.

The shots were 46-22 Minnesota. Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov was the only reason Game 3 of this first-round playoff series went into overtime.

Granlund ended it 5:08 into sudden death when he drove in from the right-wing wall across the crease and slid the puck inside the far post while falling to his stomach. Varlamov was caught in front of the opposite post, and Minnesota won 1-0.

“(Varlamov) played, obviously, a good game, but I think we were playing really good,” said Granlund, 22. “We were creating chances, and slowly we were going to get rewarded. … I found a hole there, and it was an empty net. I thought we played a good game. It’s just 2-1 now. We need to enjoy this for a little bit and then focus on the next game. Just one step for us.”

Granlund has a reputation for making circus goals, and he added to it. Wild coach Mike Yeo said what most impressed him about the play was Granlund’s strength in getting the puck and keeping possession to line up the game-winner as he circled out from behind the net.

Rookie goalie Darcy Kuemper, making his first start in the NHL postseason, got the win. He wasn’t tested often but played well when he was needed, stopping all 22 Avs shots.

“It kind of had that feeling early, that one goal was going to be the difference,” Kuemper said. “I just stuck with it and had to make the saves. My teammates were obviously playing unbelievable and making it easy on me. I was just trying to stay sharp.”

Minnesota captain Mikko Koivu, who has tutored his Finnish countryman Granlund, played 23:14, most among the Wild forwards. He had two shots and three hits, and he won 63 percent of his faceoffs in a game the Wild dominated in time of possession.

“When you come into an overtime, after I felt we played a good 60 minutes, and (with) the emotions too, it’s not a must-win, but kind of is,” Koivu said. “Big feeling, emotional night and good finish.”

Minnesota had its biggest scare in the final minute of regulation, when the Avs produced their best sustained attack, peppering Kuemper.

“They had that flurry right at the end, and you never know, it could have gone off a stick and in and that’s it,” said Wild assistant captain Zach Parise, who added that Granlund had been Minnesota’s best forward throughout the game. “For him to get rewarded … because he did so many good things.”

Yeo said his team has confidence, and not only because of the Game 3 victory.

“In parts of all three games, we’ve felt real strong about our game,” he said.

WASHINGTON — Thirty games into the 82-game NHL season, and nearly six weeks after the Matt Duchene trade, Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic discussed the state of his team before Tuesday’s 5-2 loss at the Washington Capitals.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Rockies continued to bolster their bullpen Wednesday by agreeing to a contract to bring left-handed reliever Jake McGee back to Colorado. A major-league source confirmed the news, but the Rockies have not made the signing official.